Is Christmas Fern deer resistant?
Polystichum acrostichoides
About Christmas Fern
Near-universally deer-proof, like almost all ferns, and evergreen through winter, which is unusual and useful. The fronds stay green under snow and then flatten themselves to the ground in late winter, which looks like damage but is not. That flattening is thought to mulch the crown and let the new fiddleheads through in spring. Cut the old fronds off in March, before the new ones unfurl, and the plant looks sharp all season. Native across eastern North America and genuinely tough for a fern: it takes drier shade than most, which makes it one of the few things that works under a mature maple where the roots take all the moisture.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 5 to 7
- Drainage
- Consistently moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Fertility
- Low
- Spacing
- 18 to 24 in apart
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Maintenance
- Low
Tolerances and uses
- Drought
- Moderate
- Salt
- Low
- Pollinators
- None
- Evergreen
- Containers
What to plant it with
- Hellebore
The core of a deer-proof shade planting. Both evergreen, both ignored, both happy in dry shade once established.
Similar to Christmas Fern
Other ferns with the same deer rating.
- Cinnamon FernOsmunda cinnamomeaZones 4–9Rarely damaged
- Hayscented FernDennstaedtia punctilobulaZones 3–8Rarely damaged
- Holly FernCyrtomium falcatumZones 7–10Rarely damaged
- Japanese Painted FernAthyrium niponicumZones 4–9Rarely damaged
- New York FernThelypteris noveboracensisZones 3–8Rarely damaged
- Ostrich FernMatteuccia struthiopterisZones 3–8Rarely damaged
Where Christmas Fern grows
Hardy across most of these 51 states on zone range alone. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering.
- Pennsylvanianative
- New Jerseynative
- New Yorknative
- Connecticutnative
- Massachusettsnative
- Virginianative
- Marylandnative
- Michigannative
- Wisconsinnative
- Ohionative
- Indiananative
- Illinoisnative
- Minnesotanative
- Missourinative
- North Carolinanative
- Tennesseenative
- Georgianative
- Texasnative
- Colorado
- California
- Oregon
- Washington
- New Hampshirenative
- Vermontnative
- Mainenative
- Rhode Islandnative
- Delawarenative
- West Virginianative
- Kentuckynative
- South Carolinanative
- Floridanative
- Alabamanative
- Mississippinative
- Louisiananative
- Arkansasnative
- Oklahomanative
- Kansasnative
- Nebraska
- Iowanative
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Montana
- Wyoming
- Idaho
- Utah
- Nevada
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Alaska
- District of Columbianative
- Hawaii
Highlighted states are within its native range according to the USDA PLANTS database, where it is native to 35 US states in total.
Browse from here
Every list Christmas Fern belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Christmas Fern
- Is Christmas Fern deer resistant?
- Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides) is rated Rarely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Deer almost always leave this alone.
- What hardiness zones does Christmas Fern grow in?
- Christmas Fern is hardy in USDA zones 3 to 9. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Christmas Fern grow in shade?
- Yes. Christmas Fern tolerates full shade to part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.
- How big does Christmas Fern get?
- Mature height is roughly 12–36 in. Growth rate is slow.